Detours, lane closures in store as bridge demolition ramps up

CORNWALL, Ontario - Cornwall motorists will be forced to grapple with detours and lane reductions as demolition crews remove the Seaway International Bridge from the city landscape.

Glenn Hewus, a representative for the Federal Bridge Corporation, told city councillors Monday night as work on bridge removal evolves, traffic routes will be affected.

“It does create an impact for people moving around the city and we’re trying to mitigate much of the traffic concerns ,” he said.

Demolition crews are expected to begin mobilizing this month to begin the 18-month task of bringing down the Seaway International Bridge, which runs above and beside Brookdale Avenue.

Demo crews will begin removing the decking of the bridge, followed by its steel apparatus, and finally the concrete pillars, in time for a 2016 deadline.

Hewus said parts of Brookdale will remain open during the work, perhaps one lane in each direction, and on occasions intersections like the one that crosses Second Street West may have to be completely shuttered for a short period of time.

Demo crews will begin removing the decking of the bridge, followed by its steel apparatus, and finally the concrete pillars, in time for a 2016 deadline.

Hewus added demo crews will remove decking in large chunks that can be “easily managed” by a crane and set down on the back of flatbed trucks that will carry it away.

Coun. Andre Rivette asked Hewus if the demolition of the bridge would be recorded for posterity.

“As a rule, generally on a weekly basis, we film the project from end to end,” said Hewus. “Your point is well taken. We will have a sequence of events to document.”

Coun. Gerald Samson, no fan of the bridge, sought assurances that the demo work would not result in costs for city taxpayers.

Hewus confirmed taxpayers should remain insulated from cost overruns, should they be realized.

"Thanks for taking down the worst bridge in Canada, and the worst bridge in the world," said Samson, adding as a retired police officer he had witnessed many accidents on Brookdale Avenue near the concrete columns. "I’ll be glad when they’re gone."